splendours of a summer night, and from that I passed to a description of

those animals that prowl by night and sleep by day. I told him of lions

and tigers, and here it seemed as though we had come to a deadlock. For,

save in their waters, there are no creatures in the moon not absolutely

domestic and subject to his will, and so it has been for immemorial years.

They have monstrous water creatures, but no evil beasts, and the idea of

anything strong and large existing 'outside' in the night is very

difficult for them...."

[The record is here too broken to transcribe for the space of perhaps

twenty words or more.]

He talked with his attendants, as I suppose, upon the strange

superficiality and unreasonableness of (man) who lives on the mere surface

of a world, a creature of waves and winds, and all the chances of space,

who cannot even unite to overcome the beasts that prey upon his kind, and

yet who dares to invade another planet. During this aside I sat thinking,

and then at his desire I told him of the different sorts of men. He

searched me with questions. 'And for all sorts of work you have the same

sort of men. But who thinks? Who governs?'

"I gave him an outline of the democratic method.

"When I had done he ordered cooling sprays upon his brow, and then

requested me to repeat my explanation conceiving something had miscarried.

293

The First Men In The Moon